Former Janitor's Novel To Be Released This July

PR Log (Press Release) – Jun 27, 2009 – You know that guy, the one collecting the garbage? The one mopping the floors at your school? The one who makes the toilets sparkle? That used to be J. J. Hebert. He was that guy. But now “that guy” is James Frost, the main character from Hebert’s soon-to-be-released novel, Unconventional.

“Lately, I’ve been referring to the book as Good Will Hunting meets The Pursuit of Happyness,” said Hebert, “because my novel features a janitor with a gift outside of janitorial work, and he’s willing to do anything—and I mean anything—to fulfill his dream of becoming a published author. I mean, think of it, here we have a janitor/writer—certainly an unconventional fellow, don’t you think? James Frost stands as proof that no matter your circumstances, now is always the time to pursue your dreams!”

Unconventional, available July 2009 in paperback and as a free serialized audio book narrated by Jeffrey Kafer (winner of the 2008 Voicey Awards), has already been praised by award-winning author Gemma Halliday as “a wonderful story full of heart, humor, and what it means to truly be successful. An A+ novel for the keeper shelf."  

When asked about his journey, Hebert gladly explained: “I’m only twenty-five-years-old, but I began writing seriously somewhere around 2003, when I could also be found mopping floors and scrubbing toilets with an oversized toothbrush. My first novel, Defiance Rising, went on to win numerous awards, one of my favorites being The Sit-In-My-Drawer-And-Never-Get-Sold Award and also, my least favorite, The Write-Seven-Drafts-And-Scrap-It Award. You should see the trophies; my mantel can’t contain them! Okay, so you get it; Defiance went nowhere. Then I wrote Unconventional. And, thankfully, I’m no longer a janitor.”

Like James Frost’s writing life, Hebert’s career hasn’t been problem free. He spent all of 2007 writing and editing Unconventional and most of 2008 trying to land a literary agent. After receiving countless rejection letters, and some manuscript requests, the former agent to Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti decided to represent Hebert, but that business relationship dissolved by the beginning of 2009. Then, in mid-January, Hebert decided to go with Mindstir Media, publisher of mind-stirring books, to release his tale about young janitor/author James Frost.

“Just to clarify something, because I know it’ll be asked many times,” said Hebert, “I’m not James Frost and James Frost is not me. Sure, he and I are a lot alike but he went through much more than I. Mostly because I’m a sadistic individual and I enjoy watching my characters suffer. Well, not really. I just think conflict sells—and there’s lots of conflict in Unconventional. I hope my scheme works in the end. If not, I might have to go back to sweeping and mopping floors for a living. Please spread the word about Unconventional and keep me away from those mucky toilets!”

To learn more about J. J. Hebert and Unconventional, the novel designed to inspire readers to reach for their dreams, please visit www.jjhebert.net. Hebert can also be found on MySpace (www.jjonmyspace.com), Facebook (www.facebook.com/jjhebert), and Twitter (www.twitter.com/authorjjhebert).